Deposition Head for Additive Manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016288264-A1
Application number	US-201514679201-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 6, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A deposition head for additive manufacturing may include a material feeder including a first feeder to deposit a first feed material to a growth surface, and a second feeder to deposit a second feed material to the growth surface, and an electromagnetic energy source to direct electromagnetic energy to the growth surface, wherein the electromagnetic energy forms a melt pool on the growth surface, and wherein the melt pool may include at least one of a molten first feed material and a molten second feed material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A deposition head for additive manufacturing comprising:
a material feeder comprising:
a first feeder to deposit a first feed material to a growth surface; and
a second feeder to deposit a second feed material to said growth surface; and
an electromagnetic energy source to direct electromagnetic energy to said growth surface, wherein said electromagnetic energy forms a melt pool on said growth surface, and wherein said melt pool comprises at least one of a molten first feed material and a molten second feed material.

2 . The deposition head of claim 1 further comprising an optic to focus said electromagnetic energy.

3 . The deposition head of claim 2 wherein said optic is linearly movable relative to said electromagnetic energy source, and wherein linear movement of said optic relative to said electromagnetic energy source adjusts a size of said melt pool.

4 . The deposition head of claim 2 wherein said optic comprises precision ground optical glass.

5 . The deposition head of claim 1 wherein said first feed material and said second feed material are different.

6 . The deposition head of claim 1 wherein said first feed material comprises powder, and wherein said second feed material comprises wire.

7 . The deposition head of claim 1 wherein said first feed material comprises a first constituent material, wherein said second feed material comprises a second constituent material, and wherein said first constituent material and said second constituent material are different.

8 . The deposition head of claim 1 wherein said material feeder further comprises a third feeder to deposit a third feed material to said growth surface, and wherein said melt pool comprises at least one of said molten first feed material, said molten second feed material and a molten third material.

9 . The deposition head of claim 8 wherein at least one of said first feed material, said second feed material and said third feed material is different.

10 . The deposition head of claim 8 wherein said first feed material comprises powder, wherein said second feed material comprises wire having a first diameter, wherein said third feed material comprises wire having a second diameter, and wherein said first diameter and said second diameter are different.

11 . The deposition head of claim 10 wherein said first feed material comprises a first constituent material, wherein said second feed material comprises a second constituent material, wherein said third feed material comprises a third constituent material, and wherein at least one of said first constituent material, said second constituent material and said third constituent material is different.

12 . An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a build platform to support a growth surface; and a deposition head movable relative to said build platform, said deposition head comprising:
a first feeder to deposit a first feed material to said growth surface; and
a second feeder to deposit a second feed material to said growth surface; and
an electromagnetic energy source to direct electromagnetic energy to said growth surface,
wherein said electromagnetic energy forms a melt pool on said growth surface, and wherein said melt pool comprises at least one of a molten first feed material and a molten second feed material.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said deposition head further comprises an optic to focus said electromagnetic energy, wherein said optic is linearly movable relative to said electromagnetic energy source, and wherein linear movement of said optic relative to said electromagnetic energy source adjusts a size of said melt pool.

14 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said first feed material and said second feed material are one of structurally different or compositionally different.

15 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said first feed material comprises powder of a first constituent material, and wherein said second feed material comprises wire of a second constituent material, and wherein said first constituent material and said second constituent material are different.

16 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said deposition head further comprises a third feeder to deposit a third feed material to said growth surface, wherein said melt pool comprises at least one of said molten first feed material, said molten second feed material and a molten third material, and wherein at least one of said first feed material, said second feed material and said third feed material is one of structurally different or compositionally different.

17 . A method for additively manufacturing a three-dimensional article, said method comprising:
depositing feed materials through a material feeder to a growth surface, wherein said feed materials comprises at least one of a first feed material, a second feed material and a third feed material, and wherein at least one of said first feed material, said second feed material and said third feed material is different; exposing said feed materials to electromagnetic energy to form a melt pool, wherein said melt pool comprises at least one of a molten first feed material, a molten second feed material and a molten third feed material; and solidifying said melt pool.

18 . The method of claim 17 further comprising adjusting a size of said melt pool.

19 . The method of claim 17 wherein said first feed material comprises powder, wherein said second feed material comprises wire having a first diameter, wherein said third feed material comprises wire having a second diameter, and wherein said first diameter and said second diameter are different.

20 . The method of claim 17 wherein said first feed material comprises a first constituent material, wherein said second feed material comprises a second constituent material, wherein said third feed material comprises a third constituent material, and wherein at least one of said first constituent material, said second constituent material and said third constituent material is different.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Jones Jonaaron F
• Dietrich David M

Classifications

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F12/41

  characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam · CPC title

• B22F12/44

  characterised by the configuration of the radiation means · CPC title

• B22F10/38

  to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title